Putin’s Appeasers Support Historical Unity Attempts
They either don’t know it or don’t care
In addition to his victim-blaming and NATO finger-pointing, Putin is playing a dangerous historical unity game in his endless quest to justify invading Ukraine. The far-reaching implications of this false justification are massive if left unchecked. Should the democratic world retreat into appeasement, there would be little to deter other countries from attempting to realize any of their territorial ambitions.
Yet some in the west still want peace in Ukraine regardless of costs. They consider peace paramount to punishing Putin or deterring future Russian aggression. They care less about Putin’s baseless justifications for invading Ukraine, and more about striking a deal with an autocrat who has shown a propensity to renege.
These western appeasers are playing Putin’s dangerous historical unity game for him. They’re letting the argument prevail that Ukraine lacks a unique cultural and historical identity. Even if they don’t believe that argument themselves, calling for peace at all costs — instead of demanding Putin to retreat from Ukraine — tacitly condones Putin’s historical unity arguments.
And don’t just take my paraphrasing of Putin’s position. Read Vladimir Putin’s own words for yourself.
